Magic Number: 5
The White Sox went down to the new ballpark in Arlington and took care of the Rangers tonight. Dylan Cease struck out 10 batters in five innings of scoreless work, while the bullpen followed to keep the Rangers off the board all night. Ryan Burr, Aaron Bummer, Jose Ruiz, and Jace Fry combined for the scoreless bullpen effort.
On the offense, the White Sox struck early and often, scoring runs in the first, second, and five in the fourth to put the game away early. Luis Robert and Jose Abreu led the charge with five combined RBIs, while Yoan Moncada extended his on-base streak to 30 games. Unfortunately, this was the same night Yasmani Grandal lost his 30-game on-base streak, which was the longest for a catcher in franchise history. Grandal and Billy Hamilton were the only White Sox starters to not record a hit.
With the win, the White Sox improved to 84-63 on the season, moving ever closer to the division title and 90-win mark.
W: Dylan Cease (12-7) | L: Taylor Hearn (6-5)
Savant Leaders
Notable Performances
Dylan Cease: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, 17 Swinging Strikes
Cease struggled with his command in the early going, which drove up his pitch count. However, he finished the game two two innings and just 21 pitches to give him as solid 92 for the night – with a 68% strike percentage.
With the outing, Cease recorded his eighth double-digit strikeout performance of the season, tying Chris Sale for second-most by a White Sox pitcher in a single season.
Luis Robert: 3-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI, R, K
Luis Robert dealt the big blow in this game with a bases-clearing double that was part of a White Sox’ five-run fourth inning. With the effort, Robert is now hitting .354 on the season, solidifying his role as a key member of the White Sox heading into October.
Jose Abreu: 2-for-3, 2 RBI, R, BB, K
Abreu continued his torrid August/September stretch with two more hits and RBIs, bringing his RBI total on the season to 111. He is still just one homer short of yet another 30 HR/100 RBI season as he continues to be one of the most consistent run producers in baseball.
Romy Gonzalez: 3-for-4, 2 2B, RBI, BB, 2 R
The utility infielder did what he was doing all year in the minor leagues: hit the baseball hard. Gonzalez had his first three-hit night in the majors, lining two doubles to the gaps in the process. Gonzalez is looking to prove himself as a viable option for the White Sox in a utility role heading into next season.
Next Game
The White Sox and Rangers will continue their series tomorrow as the White Sox’ Magic Number sits at just 5. Lance Lynn will face his former team, and Texas will counter with Spencer Howard.
The game starts at 6:05 PM CT and can be viewed, as always, on NBC Sports Chicago.
